The Viaduct's New Pop-Up is Led By Beer and Comfort Food

The Viaduct Harbour is in the midst of a second coming. While we wait for four new hospitality offerings to open over the next few months, and spend our weekends squinting into epic new light installation Bright Nights, there's a new waterfront pop-up to satiate our cravings for beer, melted cheese and live entertainment.

From the former owners of Cassette Nine and Queenstown's World Bar comes The Nightingale, a new pop-up that comes in place of The Original for a limited run. Though, instead of teapots and grungy jeans slung up as wallpaper, John Hennessy and Matty Yates intend to bring something "fresh, intriguing and spontaneous to the Viaduct".

A focus on craft beer is one thing that will hopefully get them there. As well as serving nine craft and mainstream varieties on tap, including Panhead's Supercharger and Emerson's Bookbinder, The Nightingale's menu has been designed with beer in mind — it comes with the promising label: "gourmet comfort food". Drinking accompaniments include: two kinds of charcuterie platters, a fried chicken burger and Tabasco brined oyster po boy, chicken and waffles, truffle mac 'n' cheese, and bone marrow brulee. The Swiss innovation of raclette, where melted gooey cheese is poured on basically everything, will also be used across a variety of menu items.

Also serving as a live entertainment venue, the main bar area will be home to a stage that will feature everything from bands to DJs and comedy across a weekly schedule. The timespan for The Nightingale is six months over the winter period as The Original is rebranded into a new watering hole.

Find The Nightingale at 204 Quay St, Auckland.